How is "throughput" defined in networking?

Throughput in networking refers to the rate of successful data transmissions over a given period of time. This metric is crucial because it indicates how much data is actually being transmitted successfully between devices on the network, factoring in elements such as network congestion, errors, and protocol overheads. Unlike other metrics, throughput specifically measures the real-world performance and efficiency of a network in handling data rather than merely its potential capacity.

When considering the other options, total data capacity pertains to the maximum amount of data the network can potentially handle, which does not reflect actual performance. The speed of the internet connection relates more to the bandwidth available but does not necessarily correlate with how much data is successfully transmitted within that bandwidth. Lastly, the number of devices connected to a network may affect overall performance but does not define throughput as it does not provide insights into the actual data transfer success rates. Therefore, identifying throughput strictly in terms of successful data transmissions provides a clearer and more practical understanding of network performance.